Black Rose
by SilverLight0704
Summary: Secrets and deception. Everyone has secrets. Will Rinoa's friends tell her their deep secret, to protect her from him? Not everything is as it seems... I'm bad at summary's. PLease read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is my first ever fan fiction! Please be gentle with me. I write on WordPad so there is no spell check. If you notice any spelling or grammar errors, please let me know about them so I may fix them. I hope you enjoy the story! Reviews would be much loved!

Black Rose

Chapter One

A glowing orb slid silently across the black blanket, it's only company tiny specks scattered around it. The soft light illuminated the earth. Casting shadows at every corner. A woman walked down a deserted street, alone. She walked for a few blocks, then turned and walked through the gates of the Galbania city park. Her shoes made soft clicking noises on the cobblestone path as she walked. A light breeze blew by, and she wrapped her arms around her. It was followed by the sound of a twig breaking. The woman froze. She looked around, but seen nothing. She shrugged her shoulders and continued walking. A dark figure stepped out of the shadows, and crept up behind the woman. The woman screamed out in pain, but the sound quickly died. Just as she did. The dark figure dropped the body to the ground. The figure turned and disappeared into the shadows.

The shrill ring of the telephone made her jump. She turned her gaze away from the television, and looked at it. She reached over and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Hey! What are you doing?"

"Sitting here watching tv."

"Are you watching that same old vampire movie again? "

"No." Rinoa lied. "So what's up Selphie?"

"Nothing much, just hanging out with Zell. Hold on a second." Selphie said. In the background there was voices.

"Is that Rinoa?" Zell's voice traveled though the phone.

"Yes."

Rinoa looked at the phone, an amused look on her face as she listed to the two friends banter back and forth.

"Give me the phone. I wanna talk to her."

"No! Go away. Stop it!"

"Selphie…Selphie…"Rinoa said into the phone, trying to catch her attention.

"Well then ask her."

"Selphie!" Rinoa yelled into the phone.

"Ouch, my ear drum."

"Sorry."

"Anyway, Zell wants to know if you're going to go out with all of us night. We're going to this new club over on seventh avenue."

"Selphie, I really don't thi…" Rinoa said before she was cut off.

"Rin! Hey it's Zell. Are you coming with us?"

"No."

"Give me one good reason why not?"

"Because he is going to be there, isn't he?"

"No…"

"I don't believe you."

"Seriously, he is gone. He left town yesterday and won't be back until next month sometime. I wouldn't lie to you."

Rinoa sighed. Zell never had lied to her. Not yet anyway. "Alright, I'll go."

"What did she say?" Rinoa heard Selphie ask Zell.

"She said she'll go. Rin, here I'll give you back to Selphie now."

"Hey! Irvine would kick your ass if he seen you do that."

Rinoa laughed. "What is he doing now?"

"Trying to grab my ass. Get off, perv!"

"Selphie, I am going to get off here, I need to take a shower before we go.."

"Okay, we'll pick you up at nine."

Rinoa hung up the phone. She rubbed her temples. Whenever Selphie and Zell got in the same room with each other, the amount of energy they gave off would give anyone a migraine. She glanced over at the television, she had missed the end of the movie. She knew the ending by heart, it had been her favorite movie since she had first seen it, at the tender age of eight. She remembered how her mother had scolder her father for letting Rinoa watch it.

"She is much to young to watch that...that...movie!" Her mother had yelled.

"Julia, she is fine! Look at her. All smiles and laughter! Not one trace of fear! Good Hyne woman, you would accuse me of having no sense?" Her father bellowed back at his wife.

Julia looked over at her small daughter who was sitting on the floor cross-legged. She was staring intently at the screen. A soft smile on her face. Julia sighed. "If she ends up having nightmares, you get to be the one to deal with it."

Her father hugged his wife and kissed her forehead. "I will even allow you to say, 'I told you so'. Care to watch the rest of the movie with us?"

Rinoa smiled at the rare memory of her parents. She pushed thoughts of them away, and picked up the remote to turn the television off. She stood up and stretched, yawning at the same time. Why did she agree to go out with them? She groaned as she turned to go upstairs. She walked down the hallway and into her bedroom. Opening her closet, she thought about something to wear. She pulled out a pair of her favorite jeans, and then rolled her eyes. It was Halloween night. She put the jeans back and flipped through the clothes that were hanging up trying to find something that could double as a costume. She came to a black dress and pulled it out. See looked at it. The top of it was a corset, with lacing up the back. The bottom of it flowed out from several separate layers of fabric. Funny, she didn't remember ever buying this dress. She looked over it again. She shrugged, it would have to do. She tossed it on her bed, then she headed to the bathroom. She showered and then changed into the dress. She sat down at her vanity, and applied some makeup. She had just finished putting on some strappy heels when she heard her front door open. "Up here Selphie!" She yelled, knowing exactly who it was.

"Hot mamma!" Selphie giggled from behind Rinoa.

She turned around. "Thanks. Oh my Hyne…Tell me your kidding?" Rinoa asked, trying not laugh.

Selphie looked down at herself. "What's wrong with it?"

At that moment Irvine walked into the room. One glance at him and Rinoa couldn't help it. She busted out laughing.

"See, I told you! I look Redciurious!" Irvine said to Selphie.

"No you don't. You look handsome. Now shush!"

Rinoa forced herself to stop laughing. "I'm sorry guys, it's just… Genie and Major Nelson?" She started laughing again. She grabbed her sides, "Oh, it hurts, it hurts!"

"Yo, Irvine! I need you for a second, Dude!" Zell yelled from downstairs. Irvine took his chance to escape.

"Rinoa, did you have to be so mean?" Selphie asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry. It is just not what I expected. Hey, can you help me tie this? I can't reach it."

"Sure." Selphie walked over to Rinoa and pulled hard on the laces and tied them in a big bow.

"Thanks." Rinoa said, and leaned over the vanity. She placed a black choker around her neck and latched it. "Okay, I am ready." The two girls walked downstairs together. Selphie was telling Rinoa about this new club, but she wasn't listening to her. Once outside, the four friends climbed into the car and drove off.

Rinoa half listened to the conversation on the way there. Rinoa had moved to Balamb three years ago. Selphie was the first one she met. She worked at the same office as her. After the two became quick friends, she met Selphie's boyfriend, Irvine. Then she met Zell and Seifer. Seifer and her had dated for about a year. Until she found him screwing around with another girl. She hadn't talked to him much since the day she told him it was over. She avoided him as much as she could. She figured that he would be with them tonight, that was why she hadn't wanted to go. Since he wasn't, she might as well enjoy herself, right?

"Rinoa, are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, what did you say?"

Zell laughed. "I said we're here, and you just sat there staring out the window."

Rinoa looked around. "My bad." She said and climbed out of the car. She followed her friends towards the club, and they walked inside.

Inside the club, the music was almost deafening, there were strobe lights in different colors flashing every few seconds. The air smelled like cigarette smoke and booze. They maneuvered their way through the crowd, heading towards the bar.

"Yeah, can we get four shots of Jack, please." Irvine said, and laid a twenty gil note down on the counter.

"Make that five." A voice behind them said. They all turned around.

"Quistis! Wow, you made it!" Selphie exclaimed as she hugged Quistis. "Oh, Quistis, this is Rinoa. She moved here a few years back. She's part of the group now."

"Nice to meet you." Rinoa said.

"We'll see." She replied.

"Rin, dance with me!" Zell asked, holding out his hand.

She placed her hand in his and went to find a place to dance. Once they found a place, the song changed to "Monster Mash" and everyone started doing the little dance that went along with it. After it was over her and Zell walked back over to the table where their group had ended up at. They all sat around and talked and drank way too much. Zell was the only one not drinking because he was driving them all home.

"So, Rinoa tell me. How did you end up in Balamb?" Quistis asked.

"My mother passed away, my father and me don't really get along. So I left. I had no reason to stay there. I visited Balamb when I was younger and I fell in love. I knew one day I would live here. So here I am."

Quistis just looked at her. "Interesting."

Rinoa didn't know why, but she got the feeling that Quistis didn't like her much. She was judging her.

Everyone was staring at something behind her. They all had a shocked look on their faces. At least, that is what Rinoa hoped it was. "What?" She turned around and looked behind her. She was staring at a belt buckle. She slowly leaned her head back, so she could see this person's face. Damn, he is fine. She let her gaze wander over his face. From his slightly stubble covered chin, to his full lips, that was smiling right now, to his nose, and the scar that ran diagonally across, ending there and starting up on his forehead. At last she looked at his eyes. As she stared into the stormy blue color, she felt as if she was being pulled into him. Suddenly she was aware that she was staring. She felt herself blush a little.

"Hello." She heard him say.

"Hi." She said softly.

"Would you like to dance with me?"

"Sure." She stood, and took the hand that he held out for her, and they walked out onto the dance floor. They was dancing close and grinding together. Rinoa could feel her skin burning. Everywhere his hands went, he set her skin on fire. She turned around and pressed her body against his. He wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her even closer. They moved to the music, and Rinoa could feel herself getting very excited. She turned back around and took a step back from him. She needed space between them. It was not like her to have this strong of an attraction to someone she just met. She didn't even know his name. The music changed to a slow song, and before Rinoa could even think, the mystery man pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and she looped hers around his neck. As they slow danced, he ran his hands up and down her back. She could feel dampness forming between her legs. They danced throughout the whole song, not even saying one word to each other. He leaned down and kissed her neck softly, his hot breath caressing her skin. Liquid heat spread thought her whole body, making the area between her legs turn from damp to wet. Before she knew it the song was over.

"You better get back to your friends. They are throwing daggers at me." He grabbed her hand and kissed it softly. "Farewell, my black rose." He let go of her hand, and turned to walk away.

"Wait!" She reached out for him, but he was already too far away. She tried to go after him, but he was lost somewhere in the maze of people. She walked back to her table with a large smile on her face. She sat down in her chair and took a sip of her drink.

"So, how was it?" Selphie asked as she leaned onto the table.

"It was alright. He's a good dancer. I enjoyed myself." She wasn't about to tell her everything right there in front of everyone.

"Do you know who he is?"

"I don't know, he never told me his name. We didn't talk much."

Quistis snorted at this. "They was to busy putting their hands all over each other to talk." She glared at Rinoa.

Rinoa frowned at this.

"Quistis, lay off! Hyne, she was just dancing. You make it sound like she was trying to have an orgy!" Irvine yelled.

Rinoa was relieved that her friends came to her defense. All of a sudden, Rinoa got lightheaded and felt sick to her stomach. She doubled over as a sharp pain ripped through her stomach.

"Rinoa, are you alright?" Zell asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, I'm fin..aughh" The pain came back stronger. "Zell, I don't feel so well. Do you think you could take me home now?"

"Sure thing, babe." Zell helped her up, and they walked off towards the door.

Selphie glared at Quistis. "That wasn't very nice!"

Quistis looked back at her, putting a look of innocence on her face. "I didn't do anything."

"We all know you was being so rude to her! Look, Rinoa is our friend. She doesn't know anything that could make her a threat." Irvine stated.

"What about what she did to Seifer?"

"She didn't do that to him. All she did was break up with his two timing ass. He just took it badly." Selphie explained.

"Whatever." Quistis said, and faded away.

Selphie looked at Irvine. "I hate when she does that."

"Stay here, Rin. I'll go get the car." Zell said as he helped her sit down on a bench outside the club.

Rinoa watched him walk off towards the car. She was feeling better now. The paid was completely gone, and she could barely even remember it. She shivered, and felt goosebumps crawl along her arms. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She felt as if someone was watching her. She looked around. Everyone she could see was engaged in conversation. She felt someone standing behind her and she turned around. No one was standing there. She heard a horn honk. She turned back around to see that Zell had just pulled up, and was getting out to help her into the car.

Once they got to Rinoa's, Zell helped her inside. "Thank you Zell. It means a lot to me, that you would leave to bringing me home. I think I just need to get some sleep." She gave Zell a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Ok, call me if you need anything. I mean it Rin."

"I will." she whispered and watched him walk to his car. She went inside and shut the door. She went up the stairs to her bedroom. After pulling off the dress, she tossed it into her hamper, and climbed into the bed. She couldn't stop thinking of him. She closed her eyes, and rand her hands over her arms, remembering how it felt to have his arms around her. She had to stop thinking about him, or she was going to get herself even more worked up then she already was. Rolling over onto her side with a sigh, she hugged her body pillow and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Hello again, I know i updated very soon. I had a few chapters already written by time I was able to post them! I just had to get the time to go over them and fix some mistakes I seen! Enough of my rabble! On with the story!

I forgot this last time...

Disclaimer: I do not own FFVIII in any way, shape or form. All I own is the plot.

Chapter Two

Rinoa walked down a dark alley. She couldn't see anything in front of her. She could hear screams in the distance, yet she was not afraid. She heard a soft voice calling her name. She kept walking toward the voice. After a few moments, she noticed a light. She walked towards it. Before she could reach it she heard someone walking behind her. She spun around to find him there behind her. He was just a few inches away from her.

"Are you not scared?" He questioned.

She shook her head. "No. Why should I be?"

"It late, dark, your in an alley alone. You never know what kind of things could come out on a night like tonight." He stepped closer to her.

"You're here." she whispered.

"That I am." he said, as he lowering his head. She closed her eyes and waited for their lips to meet.

Rinoa's eyes fluttered open. She stared at the ceiling. It was a dream. She stretched, and noticed a black rose sitting in a case on her bedside table. What in the hell, she thought to herself as she leaned over and sniffed in the erotic sent. She rolled herself out of the bed. After quickly making it up, she pulled some clothes out of the closet and headed into the shower. After she was showered and dressed she went downstairs to get some breakfast. She was just pouring the milk on her cereal when her doorbell rang. She glanced over at the clock. It was only seven forty-five. "Who could that be?" She said aloud to herself and walked to the door. She looked thought the peephole, and saw that whoever it was had their finger over it. Selphie was the only one that did that, claiming she looked fat through them. She unlocked the door and pulled it open.

"Good morning."

To her surprise, it wasn't Selphie. But Quistis standing on the other side. "Morning..." Rinoa replied hisitently.

"May I come in?"

Rinoa held the door open, and let her in. She shut the door behind her.

"Look, I just came to apolize. I was rude to you last night. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way. Can we start over?"

"Sure."

"Great! Well, I have to get to work before I get fired for being late. See you later." She walked out the door, and closed it behind her. A smile spread across her lips. She whispered a few words that couldn't be heard and walked away.

Rinoa looked at the clock and realized it was almost eight. she had to hustle to get to work on time. Completely forgetting about her cereal, she grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the door. As soon as she opened the door, a gust of wind blew hard against her, knocking her back. The wind carried a whisper of words she didn't understand. She tried to sit up, but as soon as she did, everything started spinning, and pain shot though her body. Just like last night, only worse. She tried to move, but couldn't. She laid there crying for a few minutes until her body knocked her out from the pain.

Selphie sat at her desk watching the clock. It was almost eleven and Rinoa still wasn't here. She had called her every ten minutes, but got no answer. She was really starting to get worried. Especially after last night. She picked up the phone and dialed her number again. If she don't pick up, i'm going over there.

"Hello?"

"Rinoa! Oh, thank Hyne your alright. Where have you been? I've been calling every ten minutes! It's eleven o'clock!"

"I fell, I must have knocked myself out. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"No, Rin go to the ho..." She was cut off as Rinoa hung up the phone.

Five minutes later she walked into the office. After winking at Selphie, she went into her bosses office.

"Oh, Ms. Heartilly I see you finally decided to make an appearance."

"I'm so sorry Mr. Kramer. I was leaving, somehow I slipped on the tile in front of my door. I must have knocked myself out."

"I'll let it slide. This time, only because you've never been late or missed a day since you've been here. Don't let it happen again. Now, you have a new client coming in about, fifteen minutes. here is his file. I suggest you read it quick."

Rinoa whispered thanks and left the office. She seen selphie looking at her with a worried look on her face. She smiled and gave her a thumbs up, causing selphie to laugh. She then went into her own office. She sat down, and opened the file.

It said "Squall Leonhart" in big letters on the top of the page.

She read over it quickly. Mesmerizing his name so she wouldn't get it wrong. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. She got up and answered it.

"Well, if this isn't a pleasant surprise."

Squall stood there, with a smile on his face. He looked her up and down. It noticed it all, just like he had last night. She was definitely a sight. In her black with blue pinstripes power suit, with a blue dress shirt under the jacket. The was she had the jacket's buttons buttoned, appeared to make her breasts look even larger. The fabric looked to be stretched over them. He looked up at her face. Her hair was pulled back in a french braid. Gone was the white makeup that made her appear to be more pale then she already was, along with the dark eye make up and lipstick. In it's place a light pink lipstick and some blush on her cheeks. Both looks worked for her.

"It's you..." she whispered.

"Yes, it is me." he chuckled. "Allow me to formerly introduce myself. The name is Squall Leonhart." He said, giving a slight bow.

She smiled "Rinoa Heartilly." She held out her hand, intending to shake his. Instead he took her hand in his, and softly kissed it. "Please, come in." She said,moving out of the way so he could pass.

He walked into her office, and sat down in a large chair. He watched as she came around the desk and sat on the other side. She had a folder in front of her. She opened it and was looking over it.

"So what brings you here?"

"There is an estate that i would like to purchase. I have all the details of the property here." He stated, as he handed her a folder.

Rinoa took the folder and opened it. She scanned over the pages inside quickly. "Mr. Leonhart, have you already made an offer to the current owners?"

"As of yet, I have not. I have however, spoken to them on numerous occasions. They are aware of my intentions."

Boy, did he have a way of talking, she thought to herself. "Alright, I don't foresee any major issues here." She reached into her desk and pulled out a few papers. "This is just a general lawyer client contract. It states my fee's, and it also has a confidentially agreement, and this last one is...the wrong paper."

Squall looked at her. She had her brows furrowed together. He couldn't help but laugh. she looked up at him, with her big brown eyes. She had amazing eyes, they reminded him of chocolate traced with a bit of honey.

She smiled at him. "Please read over these and if you agree with everything then sign them."

He scanned over the papers. Her fee was fifty gil less then his current lawyer. If he was satisfied with her work, he might start thinking about a change. She was much softer on the eyes then Mr. Hackney. He started to remembered what her skin felt like, as he ran his hands down her arms while the danced. The way her body moved against his, the way her eyes seemed to darken when he he pulled her against him for that slow dance. He could feel himself getting aroused and pushed his current thoughts out of his mind. He picked up a pen and signed the papers in front of him. He pushed them back towards her.

She picked them up and looked over them. "Alright, I'll contact the current owners later today. I'll call you sometime tomorrow to let you know what I find out."

"Wonderful. Well, it's been a pleasure Ms. Heartilly. I have another meeting I must get to. Until tomorrow then." He stood up and left.

He had to get out of there. the pressure in his pants was getting too uncomfortable for him. Hyne, I hope I didn't just make a mistake in retaining her.

It was six o'clock before Rinoa let her office. She had spent most of the afternoon on the phone with the owners of the property that her new client wanted to buy. Then she ended up calling about when the next zoning committee meeting was. It was in three weeks. She would have to put this account on priority to get everything done before then. Otherwise it was going to be at least another month before they would meet again. She walked out to her car and climbed in. The heat inside the car was stifling, she put the key in the ignition and turned it. She pressed the AC button on her console and was blasted with hot air. After a few minutes it became to turn cold. She put the car into drive, and pulled out of the parking lot.

Quistis walked up to the house and looked at it. She knew who was inside, and the thought made her want to be sick. This woman made her physically ill. She couldn't explain why but she hated this Rinoa. She seemed nice and sweet, but for some reason she found herself treating her like her worst enemy. So she was lying to herself. She knew why, Seifer. This girl had crumbled him to a pathtic heap of uselessness. He used to be strong, vital, and powerful. Now all he did was mope around. He had lost all interest in feeding. He just staggered though one day to the next. At first she had been curious to see the one who did this. She had thought that whoever it was had to of had a great deal of power and control over it. Boy, was she wrong. She would have never thought a weak little, human could have done this to her Seifer. The word human left a bad taste in her mouth. It's not that she had anything against humans, no more then the next one of them. But to think one of them weakling creatures could have brought one of their most powerful to his knees. She shook her head. No, this human would pay for what she did. Quistis smiled at herself. None of them knew her little secret. It had been four months since the old mystic had told her. They would never suspect that it was her that was causing all of Rinoa's little fits.

"What are you doing here?"

Quistis spun around. "Seifer! It's good to see you out."

He glared at her. "I said, what are you doing here!"

She looked at him. "I am merely paying a visit to little miss..." her word were cut off as Seifer's hand slapped her across the face.

"You listen to me, Quistis. I do not want you to go anywhere near her. You do not know everything about her. None of you know the whole truth. None of you is ready to know. I want to make sure you understand this perfectly. You leave Rinoa alone."

"What if I don't?" Quistis asked, as she tilted her head to the side, hands on her hips and lips snarling up, the corners slightly twitching.

Seifer picked her up by her throat and held her up in the air. He squeezed his hand around her throat cutting off her air. His eyes turned black, his teeth grew into long fangs. "It will be the last thing you will ever regret." He toss her aside, and returned to normal. He faded away.

"Seifer you've gone soft! After all these years, you've let a human break you. A meek little excuse for even a human, for Hyne's sake." Quistis whispered aloud to no one. Quistis took one last look at the house behind her. My plans will have to wait, for now. She thought as she faded away.

"You're late. I've been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry, I know I'm late." She whispered in response.

"All that matters is that your here now."

She was pulled into his arms. She looked up at his face. She stared into his eyes. She felt her body heat raise as his hands rand down her back, and grabbed her butt. He pushed her against him hard. She could feel his arousal pressing against her. She quickly became wet.

"I've been waiting all day to do this..." he whispered as he lowered his head.

"Oh, Hyne! i am so sorry, Rin!"

Rinoa's eyes jerked open, and she looked over at the door to see Zell turning around. What's his problem? She looked down and realized she was still in the tub, naked.

"I'm so sorry. Selphie told me what happened and I wanted to make sure you was alright. When you didn't answer the door I got worried."

"Don't worry about it. But do you think you could go downstairs so I can get out and get some clothes on?"

She watched him walk away laughing. She heard his footsteps on the stairs, and she got out and quickly dried off. As she pulled on her clothes, she thought about the dream she just had. That was the second one of him since they met. Both times she had awoken right before they kissed. She pushed the dreams out of her mind, and went downstairs. She didn't even glance twice at the single black rose that lay soaked on the bottom of the tub.

"Rinoa, are you sure that your okay?"

"I'm fine." She lied. In truth she didn't know if she was or not. "Hey Zell. Do you know who Squall Leonhart is?" Rinoa could of swore that his eyes went wide for a second. But when she looked again they was normal. When he didn't answer her, she looked up at him. "Zell?"

"Yes?"

"Did you hear what I said?"

He took a deep breath. "Look, Rin. I gotta go. I just wanted to make sure that you was alright. I'll talk to you later." He got up and quickly left.

Rinoa stared after him confused. Well what was that about?

"We have a slight problem."

Everyone in the room turned and looked at Zell.

"I was just over at Rinoa's and she asked me if I knew who Squall Leonhart was."

"Your kidding?" Selphie asked.

"I wish I was." Zell said, as he sat down next to Selphie.

"But it doesn't nessacerilly mean..."

"It doesn't matter. We can't take the chance. If she finds out the truth about us..." Zell stopped.

"So what do we do?" Selphie asked quietly, afraid to know the answer.

Irvine stood up. "The way i see it we have limited options. First, we can kill Rinoa. Second, we can act as if nothing has changed. Third, we can try to warn her about him. And last, we can forget all about her, pack up and leave."

Selpie's eyes watered up. "I love Rin to much to be able to hurt her. I can't just leave her either. But, how could we warn her about him without explaining everything to her? Maybe we could ch..."

"No! That is not an option Selphie."

Everyone turned and looked at Seifer.

"When did you get here?" Zell asked.

"There is something about Rinoa that you don't know. I think it is time I told you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update! I was having problems with my computer. So, here it is...Chapter three! But first...**

**I want to say thank you to Zells-babe, the first one to review my story! I'm glad that you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FF8 in any way, shape, or form. All I own is the plot!**

**Chapter Three**

**"Mr. Leonhart, It's Rinoa Heartilly. I talked to the owners, they want us to meet with them and their lawyers tomorrow at two. Give me a call so I let them know if we will be there. You can reach me on my cell at 555-3468." Rinoa hung up the phone. Her head was pounding. She didn't get much sleep last night. The little bit of sleep she did get was disturbed by strange dreams. She couldn't remember much about it. she heard a knock on her door. "Come in" She said as she massaged the sides of her head. She looked up to see Squall walk into her office. **

**"Do you have a minute?"**

**"Of course. i just left you a message. I got a hold of the owners. they want to meet with us tomorrow at two."**

**"Good. " he said, and sat down across from her.**

**"If we can get this closed soon, the zoning committee is meeting in three weeks. If all goes well, you could be in your new home in about a month or so."**

**He smiled. "Perfect. You work fast."**

**"That's what your paying me for."**

**"That's not the reason I stopped by. I wanted to know if you would like to have dinner with me tonight."**

**She looked at him. she was in shock. Was he actually asking her out on a date. She couldn't date one of her clients! "Sure." Wait, did she just agree to go out with him.**

**"I'll pick you up at seven." He smiled and left.**

**Oh, Hyne. What did i just get myself into?**

**The door opened and Squall was knocked breathless at what he saw. He looked her up and down. His gaze started at the strappy heels on her feet, the ribbon that tied them wrapping around her calf with a bow right below her knee, the black of the ribbon contrasting to the pale tan color of her pantyhose. Up higher was the hem of a short black leather mini-skirt, with small slits on both sides, her midriff was exposed just enough to see part of her navel. The bright blue halter top, that tied around behind her neck barely covered her breasts with it's plunging neckline. Around her neck was a soft blue choker, there was a tiny metal key hanging from it's center. Her lips was covered in a thick red color, and her eyes were surrounded in a light blue eye shadow, softening her darkening eyes. She had her hair piled on top of her head in a clip, spiraling curls hanging down from it, falling down to frame her face. She looked...perfect.**

**"Hey." She whispered seductively.**

**He was going to be in for a long night. "Wow, you look.. amazing."**

**"Thank you." He noticed that her cheeks turned a little pinker. She was blushing.**

**"You ready?"**

**"Yes."**

**She turned around to lock the door, and dropped her key. She bent over to pick it up. she could hear him hiss in a deep breath. She smiled. At least she wasn't the only one feeling turned on. She locked the door and turned back around. He looked into her eyes, and she looked back into his. She felt him take her hand and lead her to the car. The got ina nd drove to the restaurant in silence. **

**A waiter seated them at a small table by the balcony. "I'll be back to take your order." He said as he laid their menus on the table, then turn and left.**

**They both opened their menus.**

**"I wonder what is good here?" She said as she glanced over the listing of food.**

**"I've never been here before, so I am not sure. Why don't we just get the special?"**

**"Sounds good to me."**

**He caught the waiter's attention, and he came over. "Are you ready to order?"**

**"Yes, we will both have the special please."**

**"Very good. I'll return shortly with your food."**

**"So, how long have you been a lawyer?"**

**Rinoa took a drink of her water. "I moved here right after I graduated from law school. So three years. What exactly is it that you do, Mr. Leonhart?"**

**"Please, call me Squall."**

**She smiled. "Squall, then."**

**"I'm into a little bit of everything. You could call me a jack of all trades."**

**The continued to talk about this and that learning little bits about each other as the date stretched on. After they finished eating, they left the restaurant and Squall drover her back to her place. He walked her to her door. **

**"I had a good time tonight." she said smiling.**

**"So did I." He used his hand to tuck on e of the tendrils of hair behind her ear. He left his finger slide down her neck, then up under her chin. He stared down into her eyes. He leaned down, he felt her tip her head to the side in anticipation. His mind was screaming at him to stop. That he shouldn't kiss her. He hesitated, his lips a fraction of an inch away from hers. He could feel her hot breath on his lips. He ignored the voice in his head, and pressed his mouth against hers. He moved his hand from under her chin, letting it travel thought the valley between her breasts, then across her ribcage, and finally he stopped at her waist. He felt her arms go around his neck lightly. he licked her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth inviting him in. He pulled her body against him, as she slowly slide his tongue into her mouth. He felt an electric shock go though his body as she pressed her tongue against his. She moaned into his mouth. He moved his hands from her waist to her behind, he pushed her against him harder, and lifted her up. she immediately wrapped her legs around him, and he blessed her back against the door. He deepened the kiss, he was drowning in the taste of her mouth. She tasted of sweet wine and raw passion. She shifted against him, and he felt himself grow harder in response. Their kissing grew with more passion, and became more primal. A ringing from his pocket broke the spell. He pulled back from her, and slowly lowered her back to her feet. He reached into his pocked and pulled out his cell phone. He flipped it open. "Hello? No it's no a good...What? Okay...I'll be there." He closed the phone and put it back in his pocket. He looked down at rinoa. "I have to go." He kissed her softly on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."**

**"Okay. Until tomorrow then." she whispered.**

**He turned away from her and left.**

**Rinoa climbed into her bed, still wet from the cold shower she had just taken. She could have swore the water had turned to stream once it touched her skin. she laid on top of her blanket, still too hot to crawl underneath it. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.**

**She sat in a dark room. The sent of flowers was unmistakable. A quiet click was heard, and the room flooded with light. She looked around. All around the room was vases full of black roses.**

**"I thought you might enjoy them." his voice sounded like honey to her.**

**"You know I love them." she whispered.**

**He walked over to her, and embraced her. He lowered his mouth and kissed her softly. "My beautiful Black Rose..." he whispered against her lips.**

**She moaned in response to his touch, he pushed his tongue into her mouth at the same monet she opened up for him. He coaxed her tongue into joining the dance with his. Time stood still as the two lovers kissed.**

**He broke the kiss, and lifted her into his arms. He carried her across the room and laid her down on the large bed. He laid on top of her, staring into her eyes. **

**She looked back at him. "I will never get tired of looking into your eyes." she said as she raised her head to kiss him.**

**The buzzing of her alarm clock ripped her from her dream. She sat up groggily, and rubbed her eyes. She turned the alarm clock off, and got out of the bed. She heard a knock at her front door, and she pulled her robe on and ran downstairs. When she opened the door, no one was there. But sitting on the ground was a dozen black rose. She picked them up and read the card that was placed between them. **

**Thinking of you**

**She knew exactly who they was from and she smiled. Today would be a good day.**


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. My life has been a little hectic lately. Now, on with the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own FF8 in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter Four

Rinoa sat at her desk, twirling the stem of a black rose between her finger and thumb. She lifted the flower to her face, and inhaled the sweet scent. She smiled softly, thinking of the man who had sent her the flowers. Every day for the past two weeks, he had sent her black roses. Most people thought she was morbid for loving them. They felt that the dark petals embodied death. Maybe she was morbid for liking them. Ever since she was younger, she had always been fascinated by the stories of vampires, demons, witches, all the things the world looked on as being evil. She could remember before she was old enough to realize that they only existed in books and movies, she used to believe that one day she would find them hiding and become one of them. She laughed at herself. She stood up and walked to the window. She placed the rose back into the crystal vase, along with the others. She looked out the window and watched the puffy clouds travel across the blue sky. She felt her gaze being drawn down, as she looked over the parking lot, she spotted him. She smiled and waved to him. He motioned for her to come outside. She turned around, grabbed her purse and walk out of her office. She headed for the elevator, and realized that Selphie was not sitting at her desk. By the stack of papers sitting on it, she had not been there all day. Rinoa frowned, she hadn't seen much of her friends since the night she asked Zell about Squall. She hadn't even talked to any of them in the past week. Not even Selphie, who she seen every day almost. She pressed the button on the elevator and waited. The doors slid open and she went inside the box, and pressed another button as the doors slid closed again.

Squall leaned against his midnight black Jaguar. He stared at the entrance doors to the building in front of him. Waiting for her to come out. The past two weeks had been eventful. He was not used to spending his time with people, especially women. He usually stayed to himself for the most part, not really interesting with anyone. He couldn't remember the last time he had talked to someone he considered a friend. He knew that he was not always as he was now. There was a feeling and a shadow of a memory that told him this. He woke up one morning, and most of his memories of the past were gone. For awhile he had tried to learn what had happened to him. He eventually gave up looking. The door swung open, and Squall straightened. Nope, it wasn;'t her. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He withdrew one of them from the pack, and placed it back in his pocket. He lit the end, and took a long drag off of it.

"Long time no see there Leonhart."

Squall knew who it was without even turning around. "Go away, Seifer."

"I can't do that. You need to come with me. There is much that we need to discuss."

"By 'we' I assume that you mean Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Quistis, and yourself."

"And you Squally-boy."

Squall turned around. "There is nothing that I need to discuss with any of you. Now, go away. I am waiting for someone."

"I know. Your waiting for Rinoa. She is what we need to discuss. Now, are you going to come willingly, or am I going to have to drag you along kicking and screaming like a baby?" Seifer smirked.

"You and I both know that your no match for me. No matter how strong you become. You'll never be in the same bracket as me. Leave now, before I get angry. I think you forget what happens when I am provoked, otherwise you would have left by now." Squall dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Seifer's hand wrapped around his neck quickly...

Rinoa stepped outside into the blinding light. She squinted her eyes, waiting for them to adjust. She turned and headed in Squall's direction. As she got a little closer, she realized Squall was talking to someone. She leaned to the side to see who it was. As the other person came into view, Rinoa knew him immediately. Seifer! what was here doing her, and talking to Squall. What if they are friends? No, Squall would never be friends with someone like Seifer. But then, she had been friends, and even more then friends with him. She seen Seifer lift his arm, and wrap his hand around Squall's neck. She tried to scream, but for some reason her voice was stuck. She started to run to the pair. As soon as she did, they faded away. Rinoa stopped and stared. She blinked a few times. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. Had they really just disappeared? yes, she was sure they was really standing there. Now they was gone. She quickly ran to her car and got in. She stared the engine and drove home as fast as she could. Once there, she went inside and went up to her room. She grabbed the cordless phone on the way up there. She claimed onto her bed, and quickly dialed Zell's number.

"What the fuck! Seifer, how dare you! I know that it hasn't been long enough for you to forget who exactly you are dealing with." Squall screamed in outrage.

"Hey Squall, long time no see."

Squall looked around the room. As he had guessed, they was all there. "I would say it is good to see you, but we all know it would be a lie."

Irvine looked at him. "Squall, look... Can we just put the past behind us?"

Squall laughed at the idea. "You really think that I could just forgive and forget what you all did? Your sadly mistaken. I do not think kindly of traitors. Now if you will excuse me, I have plans that does not include any of you." Squall's body turned to smoke as he started to fade away.

"If it involves Rinoa, it involves us." Selphie blurted out. Squall's form slowly became solid again. "That's what I thought."

"Listen to me. All of you. Whatever is going on with me and Rinoa, is none of your concern. If you want to be here friend, I will not try and stop you. Unless you force me to."

"How do you think you can manage that? Rinoa loves us." Zell finally spoke up.

"Easy. I'll tell her what you really are. Do you think she will be able to stand in the same room with any of you if she knew?"

"True enough, but what about you? You think she would be happy that she is fucking a guar..."

Squall rushed across the distance and punched Seifer in the jaw. "Shut the fuck up, Almsay."

"Squall, there is something about her that you don't know." Selphie stood up and walked over to him. She handed him a large book. "If you won't listen to us, at least read this. It will tell you more then we can."

Slowly, he took the book. Not sure if it was a trap. "Ok, Selphie. I will read it. I'm not saying I will believe it. But I will read it."

Selphie looked at him. She looked like she was about to cry. "Squall, we never meant to..."

"Selphie, shut up. He'll find out the truth soon enough."

"Whatever. I'm out of here." Squall said and faded away.

Everyone sat there in silence.

A ringing broke the silence. Zell quickly answered his phone. "Yeah? Rin...are you...Yeah...okay, we'll be there." He shut the cell phone off. "Guys, that was Rin. She need us to come over."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: I am back again! I'm kind of disappointed with this chapter...Oh well. Hope you like it. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own FF8 in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter Five

"Rinoa, are you okay?" Selphie asked as everyone walked in and sat down in Rinoa's living room.

"I don't know. I think I am going crazy!"

"What happened?" Zell asked as he threw a pillow at Irvine, who was making faces as Selphie.

Rinoa seemed not to notice all of that. "Everything was fine all day. Then around three or so I was looking outside and seen Squall. So I went outside."

"He did hurt you did he?" Zell said all big brother like.

"No, he didn't. Thing is, when I was walking over to him, I noticed he was talking to someone. It was Seifer. That alone would have been weird. That's not the end of it. As I got closer, Seifer put his hand around Squall's neck and they just kind of... disappeared."

Everyone stopped what they was doing, and stared silently at Rinoa. After a few seconds she looked up at them.

"So, do you all think I am crazy?" She asked softly.

"No! Rin, your just over worked! Stress that's all. Come on, take a long bubble bath, and get a good night's sleep. I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning!" Selphie encouraged her. "Don't you have that zoning meeting tomorrow? Your not going to be any help if your wigging out over this. Look, your here in your pj's. I bet you was dreaming, and when you woke up, you thought it was real. You haven't slept much lately, have you?" Selphie insisted, hoping Rinoa would buy into it.

"Maybe your right Selphie. I guess I didn't notice I was in my pj's when I called Zell. I'm sorry guys. I'm just not thinking straight." Rinoa whispered, her eyelids getting heavy.

"Well, Rin. If the emergency is over, we'll leave you to get some sleep." Zell said, standing up. "Call me later, okay?"

"Okay, I will." Rinoa smiled, and turned to go upstairs. She heard everyone go outside, and she turned back around to lock her front door. A dream. That was all it was. She wasn't going crazy. She had just been dreaming. Stress and lack of sleep. Nothing more. She laughed at herself as she finally crawled back into bed and fell asleep.

Rinoa walked into her office and closed the door behind her. She tossed a large stack of folders onto her desk. Today had been a long day. Four of her current cases, had sudden emergencies and she couldn't ignore them, then she had the committee meeting. Luckily everything there went smooth. The estate was rezoned, and was now the property of Mr. Squall Leonhart. Rinoa sat down in a chair. Now that it was all over, would she ever see him again? A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. "Come in." She said as she sat up straight in her chair. She watched the door open, as Squall walked into her office, then shut the door behind him. He walked over to her desk, and sat down. Speak of the devil.

"Hello." He said with a soft smile on his lips.

"Hi, I was just about to call you. I just got back from the committee meeting. Everything went as planed. The estate is now your property and properly zoned. Your all set."

"That is wonderful news." He smiled again.

"I'll get all the documents in order, and have then sent to you, or you can pick them up in about a week. Just a few final touches need to be made."

"Alright. Sounds good. Now, that aside, I was wanting to know if you wanted to go to dinner with me?"

Rinoa frowned. "I would love to, but I already have plans for tonight. How about tomorrow night?"

"It's a date. I must be off, loads of planning to do, with the estate mine now. Until tomorrow." He bowed slightly after he stood, then turned and left the office.

As he was walking out, a very excited Selphie walked in.

"Rin! Guess what?"

"What, Selphie?"

"We are going all out tonight! First we are going to go dancing, then we going out to eat, then maybe hit another club or bar! So be ready with your dancin shoes on by six!" Selphie danced around Rinoa's office as she spoke. this caused Rinoa to bust out laughing. "What's so funny?" Selphie asked, stopping her dance and looking very confused.

"Nothing Selphie. I'm around ready to leave here, I'll be ready by six."

Selphie smiled and walked out of the room.


End file.
